Discuss Re-purposing 16S rRNA gene sequence data from within case paired tumor biopsy and tumor-adjacent biopsy or fecal samples to identify microbial markers for colorectal cancer

This study systematically analyzed previously published 16S rRNA sequence data from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Microbial profiles were analyzed from different studies associated with colorectal cancer. A total of 14 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria, 11 of which provided access to their raw data in public repositories or upon request.

The exclusion of antibiotics was not standardized across the different CRC-associated studies, as each study employed different criteria. For instance, in one study, cases with previous chemotherapy and antibiotic use were excluded. In two other studies, patients who had not taken antibiotics for at least a month prior to sample collection were included. In another study, only patients who had not taken antibiotics for two months were included. Additionally, in yet another study, patients who had taken antibiotics in the last three months prior to sample collection were excluded.

The remaining studies did not provide details regarding antibiotic exclusion criteria.

Additionally, the various studies utilized different gene target regions, ranging from V1 to V6.